Male urinary incontinence can result from a variety of physical or neurological conditions. The incidence of incontinence increases with advanced age. Surgical treatment of prostate cancer or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), such as radical prostatectomies, open or transurethral prostatectomy, and trauma to the membranous urethra or bladder neck can all cause temporary or permanent incontinence in men.
Existing external compressive incontinence control devices are based on the principle that if the entire cross-section of the penile shaft is sufficiently compressed, the urethra will be correspondingly flattened to prevent any urine leakage. In order to prevent the urine leakage, the penis must be flattened to about 40% or more of the normal penile diameter. When a conventional penile clamp is used with this level of compression, the major side effect is constriction of blood vessels and prevention of blood circulation to the penis. While most users of the penile clamps of these types learn to periodically remove the clamps to temporarily restore blood circulation, it is nonetheless a major inconvenience. In addition, these conventional devices are heavy and bulky, uncomfortable and insufficiently discreet.
Others have recognized that it would be desirable to selectively compress the urethra, which is situated along the central underside of the penile shaft, without exerting undue compression of the entire penile shaft. While these devices compress the urethra more than the body of penis, the devices are either too bulky, which detracts from the user's comfort level and privacy, or are comprised of many components which increase the complexity and cost of the device and the probability of failure. Also, many of the devices require two hands for application or removal.